Today, we’re looking at Jonathan Evison’s new novel, The Heart of Winter. Evison is no slouch; he is the author of seven novels, and his work is definitely well-regarded. In his latest, Abe and Ruth Winter wrestle with end-of-life challenges, a lengthy and committed marriage, life-choices that impact everything, and children who are, themselves, getting up there in years. When illness hits, they are both assaulted, if you will, by their own memories of their life together, as well as their ability or inability to remain independent.
Jennifer: First impressions? I’ll tell you what. I’m a little sad to say this. Please know that I’ve read two other Evison books, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving (which I really loved) and This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance! I found this book interesting and even sweet, albeit a tad unremarkable. I guess I really do want to be blown away.
Lara: You always need your books to “blow you away.” I think that’s exhausting. And unrealistic. And if every book blew you away, it would slowly transition to no book blowing you away. Everything can’t be amazing, nor can it all be terrible. We need stories, food, music, relationships, EVERYTHING, to have ranges, to have multitudes. We contain multitudes. Don’t I sound smart about this?
Jennifer: I’m going to stick by it. I want my books to KILL me. And I have examples of KILLING ME WITH KINDNESS. But some are not kind. I do want “Art” with a capital “A.” You and I just read John Boyne’s first three books in his “Elements” series. Painfully awesome. Percival Everett killed it with James, flipping the tale on freakin’ Mark Twain! We both read Brett Anthony Johnston; granted, I’m not going into cardiac arrest–but he still managed to send me plummeting in a good way. Now, who kills kindly? It’s tougher. A feel-good Killer book? Um, Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Don’t shoot me, but Bono’s Surrender. One more: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. Horrible, horrible–ugly–things happen. But I’m killed kindly.
By the way, Evison seems to support my killer instincts. In this novel, he writes, “Life was a relentless war of attrition, to love was torturous, for love ravaged you and brought you to your knees; it broke your will, over and over, until death seemed like a merciful conclusion.”
I guess I should say that there is a place for comfort food, “cozies.” It’s not my thing. (I do tend to seek out sweet potato fries in this way.)
And you pointed out in conversation that I love TV stuff. True. I like the killers there, too, though–don’t get me wrong.
Lara: I am going to stick by it; if every book killed you, you would die and leave books behind. Now, back to your question about my first impressions.
I have come to learn that one of my favorite subjects is marriage. I am not sure why. Is it that my own marriage didn’t work out? Is it that I would love to build something meaningful with another person, something that I have with no other person? Maybe. I kind of like what Evison says about the institution here.
“Like all institutions, a marriage requires maintaining, and amending, for it is more than a binding commitment, it is a process, one that demands participation, a willingness to absorb, to accept, to reassess. Ruth didn’t need a marriage counselor to tell her any of that, she’d learned it in the trenches, and was still learning after twenty-six years. After the vows, and the bouquets, and the trip to Honolulu, marriage was mostly work.”
Regardless of my feelings on marriage, I liked this book. It’s a solid entry into the marriage canon of literature.
So if it didn’t blow you away, what worked for you?
Jennifer: Things did work. I did like their journey–those various stages of life: child-rearing, moving, starting careers, being a woman throughout the decades, having pets demarcate your days, experiencing those particular moments that disrupt everything. I think Evison did well in showing the shifts and changes in lengthy marriages. I also want to say, without saying too much, I thought the end worked very well, And I appreciated Evison’s use of setting. The bulk of the novel takes place on Bainbridge Island, which is a ferry away from Seattle, Washington. Finally, I really liked the care and detail and realness of his depictions of what goes into aging.
With regard to my last “like,” Evison writes, very charitably, of how Abe has to change Ruth’s soaked pad on the toilet. Evison doesn’t exploit it–and he doesn’t make Abe disgusted by it. I thought this was very kindly and true of true love. I guess I’d say he did capture the real thing.
What worked for you?
Lara: I loved how different they were. That in the beginning, she had no interest in him and that he learned how to bowl to impress her. I loved how she challenged his often close-minded thinking. Abe and Ruth were of the generation where it was still very common that the role for a married woman with children was to stay at home, unquestionably. She could have worked, but it was easier, more likely, that Abe would financially provide for the family and she would physically and emotionally provide. Over time, we see Abe evolve into a more equal partner – and that was a welcome and endearing transformation.
Jennifer: Have you read other books that, um, maybe get to the profundity of long-term marriage? I like that, “marriage canon of literature.”
Lara: Oh sure. But I think we need to review the “long-term” qualifier. And, some that we’ve reviewed! There’s Shark Hart by Emily Habeck; Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff; Mary Beth Keane’s Ask Again, Yes. I also liked Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng and if we can include non-fiction, I would add Ann Patchett’s This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage. I need to finish Sue Miller’s Monogamy which I am pretty sure will go on this list.
Jennifer: It’s actually not very easy to find KILLER marriage novels. Let me name a few I loved: Shark Heart by Emily Habeck (see link in Lara’s response), How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key (I have friends who disliked it), Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill (I still think about it), The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides (where is my friend?), and Wellness by Nathan Hill (loved it). That’s a pretty good list.
Lara: That is a good list. I want to read the Harrison Scott Key book. Speaking of other books, since we last met, I caved and read BookTok’s favorite romantasy, The Fourth Wing. It’s ridiculous and compelling in an absurd way. I also read the chick-lit with brains, Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle which was good. I re-read (this time via audiobook) The God of the Woods by Liz Moore for a book club. And, I finally picked up Nella Larsen’s Passing. A great read about race, secrets, and identity. I strongly recommend pairing it with Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half. What have you been reading?
Jennifer: I did read and really liked Remember Me Like This by Bret Anthony Johnston. I want you to read it, so we can talk about it. I will say that he can be suspenseful and thriller-esque but he’s thoroughly literary too. I’m also starting a weird, personal project. I’m trying to read War and Peace by Tolstoy over the course of the year. I’m not really loving it. But I’m also listening to the audiobook, Patriot, by Alexei Navalny. I do love it.
Up Next!
Join us for our next column where we will discuss We Do Not Part a new novel by Pulitzer winner, Han Kang.